


out of the woods

by determination



Category: The Chronicles of Chrestomanci - Diana Wynne Jones
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:29:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27311926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/determination/pseuds/determination
Summary: When Chrestomanci went missing, Millie took it about as well as you'd expect.
Relationships: Christopher Chant/Millie
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	out of the woods

**Author's Note:**

> i recently read the pinhoe egg (finished it last night actually) and i reaally loved chapter 9. i just wanted something domestic between these two after dealing with the stress of christopher disappearing for more than 24 hours skjdgf  
> hope you like it!

Christopher soaked in the warm water and tried to ignore the throbbing of his aching feet. It was difficult to find a position that didn’t aggravate the pain, whether he elevated his feet or set them as gently as he could on the bottom of the bathtub. He’d settled on the former, crossing his legs and letting his feet dangle over the side of the tub. It was better than the pang that accompanied any amount of pressure on the egregious blisters that plagued his heels, though it did rather irritate his sore calves. Washing had been more of a pain, so he was just glad to be relaxing now.

Lord, what a fiasco. He was more exhausted than he could remember being in any recent year. Nothing he’d done in Caprona had even come close. Who knew simply walking could be so taxing. Though, that didn’t take into account the amount of spells he’d used to try to break himself free from the woods, on top of the fact that he hadn’t had anything to eat to make up his strength.

Letting his eyes slip closed, Christopher could almost still hear the muffled sounds of the woods. It was mildly unsettling despite the warm bath water being a present reminder that he had, in fact, managed to get out of the wretched place. How frustrating.

Millie cleared her throat from the bathroom entrance and Christopher jumped, sloshing bath water over the side of the tub as he pulled his legs back into the water. This caused Millie to snort, and he pursed his lips at her. She stood at the doorway with a tray of food in her hands. “You could have knocked,” he said, slumping into the tub. Both his feet and calves ached with the sudden movement, which irritated him a good deal. But despite her reaction, Millie did not return the remark with good humor. Christopher realized he recognized her expression - it was genuine dismay. Alarmed, he sat up straighter.

“Millie?” he tried hesitantly. Millie gazed at him for a good long moment, frowning. “Good Heavens,” Christopher said uncomfortably, “This silence is enough to suffocate a man. Please, speak your mind.” 

He almost regretted saying so when Millie stepped forward, set the tray on the bathroom counter, and towered over him like a very displeased giant. “... You had us terrified, Christopher,” she said. “Did you ever stop to think that you were being fiercely stupid, going off on your own like that?”

Christopher let out a slow exhale, closing his eyes again. He should have known she’d be upset with him. Now that the relief of seeing him safe had run its course, she was free to point out the serious problems in his actions. And, he thought sullenly, he really had no right to refute her. “... I didn’t know that would happen,” he muttered after a pause. “I had only planned to briefly investigate the misdirection spell Cat brought to my attention. If I had known-”

A cold stare cut him off. Christopher shrank down into the bath water until it nearly rose above his chin. “That’s just it, though,” Millie said. Her brows furrowed and her expression changed to betray the extent of her concern. “You always do this. You stubbornly think you can handle everything yourself. Even when you pranced off to Caprona, you barely spared a word as to what you were actually doing. For heavens’ sake, Christopher, did you really not consider that something terrible could have happened and we would have no way of knowing, purely because you neglected to tell us any of your contrived plans?”

Christopher pointedly avoided her eyes. He hated to admit that he had not, in fact, considered that anything could go wrong. His plans from the previous day had seemed so trite and brief that he truly had supposed he would be done within the span of an hour or two. She was right to criticise him, no matter how strongly he wanted to defend himself. 

“I’m sorry,” he said. 

“Are you?” Millie asked. Her incredulity brought Christopher’s eyes to her face, and he could see that her concern had given way to fear. “Tell me truthfully, what would you have done had Cat not had the good sense to go out and find you?”

After giving her question some thought, Christopher cringed. “Hard to say,” he muttered. “I’d tried everything I could to get out by myself. I didn’t even believe that he could help, at first.” He tenderly ran his fingers along the rough, blistered skin on his heels. “I suppose I would have gone on until I fainted from exhaustion.”

“Exactly,” Millie said. Her gaze went stern and upset again. “The whole situation could have been so much worse. If you had just communicated to us what you had planned to do, no matter how insignificant you deemed it, we could have been far more prepared to find you and get you out. You wouldn’t have simply been stranded in that miserable place with no way to even tell us what happened.” 

Again, she was right. Christopher sighed and nodded. “I know,” he said, and shifted to lean on the edge of the tub to look up at her. “It was a stupid mistake. It appears I’m still quite capable of making them.”

“Damn right,” Millie said. But, at last, a soft, relieved smile touched her lips. “I swear, these past 24 hours felt like I was a teenager again and dealing with your same old childish recklessness. You never grew out of it, did you.”

At that, Christopher couldn’t help grinning. “And here I was thinking you loved that part of me,” he said, allowing himself to be a bit cheeky. Millie rolled her eyes and shook her head, but she knelt by the edge of the bathtub in order to be at the same eye level.

“I do,” she said, tilting her head to press an affectionate kiss to his cheek. “But it’s really very frightening when the man you love is the most powerful enchanter in the world who just can’t seem to find any sense of self preservation, even when he only has two bleeding lives left.”

Christopher hummed and shifted to kiss her mouth. “It is frightening, isn’t it,” he murmured. He let out a wry chuckle and added, “and to think I chastised Cat the other day for being similarly reckless. Not a very good role model now, am I.”

“The worst,” Millie laughed. She lifted a hand to gently brush her fingers along the stubble at his chin. “But, I have to admit this rugged look is a nice change. You look properly disheveled.” 

Christopher scrunched his face with distaste. “It’s awful,” he sighed. “I look like a delinquent.” Millie snorted again, which made him smile. 

“You look fine,” she said and kissed him again, lips trailing along his jaw. “I might say sexy,” she went on, eyes narrowing, “but I’m hesitant to compliment you after the scare you gave us. I’m still quite upset, you know.” He did know, and she knew he did. 

“Would it appease you if I promise not to do anything like that again?” Christopher offered. “I might actually mean it.”

Millie gave him a look. “You? Learn your lesson? Never.” She smiled as she ran her fingers through his curls. “But... if you promised, I might actually believe you.” 

She kissed him once more, languidly this time. Christopher thought he could taste her relief. She really had been thoroughly scared for him. He supposed it made sense, considering she’d never been in a situation like this before. No way to contact him, no knowing where he’d gone. 

He really had done a foolishly stupid thing. Truthfully, he deserved much more of her ire - but he was content to accept her affection. He wasn’t sure he had the energy to deal with anything else. 

As if to prove this point, his stomach chose that moment to growl. Millie drew back and looked amused. “You did say you haven’t eaten since breakfast yesterday,” she said, and stood, dusting off her knees as she retrieved the tray she’d brought. “Well? Are you fit enough to feed yourself, or shall I do it for you?”

Christopher rather thought he could handle it. But, if she was offering, he didn’t mind being a little immature. Even if he didn’t really deserve it. “I’m much too exhausted,” he said melodramatically, looking up at her with puppy-dog eyes. “Grant me succor, oh lovely, magnanimous goddess of mine.” 

This earned a hearty laugh from Millie. “Goodness! Who could say no to such a fervent plea?” With a swish of her free wrist, she conjured a chair, which she placed beside the bathtub. Then she sat and set the tray on her lap. 

Christopher felt very luxurious, despite the ache in his feet, sitting in the warm bath with Millie feeding him. 

“That was very brave of Cat to go after you,” Millie commented, watching Christopher eat with undeniable fondness. “And very smart besides. I don’t think anyone else could have gotten you out of there, if that place was so strong that you couldn’t escape by yourself.”

“Indeed,” Christopher agreed once he’d chewed and swallowed. “I admit I nearly cried for relief when I saw him. As well, I wouldn’t have expected him to decide on his own to look for me. It seems like he’s finding his confidence.” Christopher thought, tapping his fingers on the side of the tub. “Perhaps I should confide in him more in future.”

“That sounds like a novel idea,” Millie said and smiled. “It’ll do him good, I think, to feel included.” She chuckled as she offered a glass of water, which Christopher accepted and drank. “You know, he was surprised to see you in, shall we say, normal clothes.”

Christopher groaned and set the glass down to rub a hand over his face. “A mistake I do not mean to replicate.”

“One might think,” Millie said, raising one brow, “that you more regret that he saw you looking _human_ , than you regret getting yourself lost in that mysterious wood.”

“Millie, dearest,” Christopher said, shaking his head, “I assure you that this ridiculous head of mine is plenty big enough for both of those regrets, and more.”

“Are you sure?” Millie laughed. “I would have thought you only had room for your ego, which, from what I’ve heard, is quite large.” Christopher gave her a put out look, and she laughed again. “Come now, let me poke fun at you this time. It’s the least you owe me for this stressful experience.”

Christopher sighed, smiling ruefully as he propped his arms on the side of the bathtub again and rested his chin on them, gazing up at her. “Perhaps. Though you must forgive me if, in my supreme tiredness, I pass out and miss most of it.” 

“Oh, you would, wouldn’t you,” Millie muttered, shaking her head. “If you’re that tired, then I suppose you’ll be needing help drying up after this bath.” Christopher’s smile turned lazy and pleased, and Millie once more rolled her eyes (fondly this time). “Alright, alright. Let’s finish up.”

Christopher was actually most glad for the assistance. He found, when he tried to stand, that his feet screamed in protest and he could barely make it two steps out of the bathtub without needing to stop. Millie snickered the whole time she helped him dress, and opted to simply carry him to his study. Of course, she could have just levitated him the way there, but she rather seemed smug when some of the castle staff caught a bewildered glimpse of Chrestomanci being bridal carried by his wife.


End file.
